Means for handling and shipping sheet metal



E. l. BURKE 2,023,912 MEANS FOR HANDLING AND SHIPPING SHEET METAL Filed Deo. 1e, 193:5

V I l 'N I W- (l N "Mr fn "W w I l1' l IJ l I I j i /0 l HU I han l u ,l0\ a l" M 122 f] j d. uw 5k 1M.. W i 24 f p d" l- NI Humlm Ml 20 ,IN y u" A I /6 l 24 fr [I /4 /6 LW Q' l 1; ya, Ih z )2 y Y 27E/7 Snventor Cttornegs Patented Dec. 1Q, 1935 UNlTED STAT Zini are

orgies MEANS FOR HANDLING AND SHIPPING SHEET METAL ration of New Jersey Application December 16, 1933, Serial No. 202,708

4 Claims.

lThis invention relates to means for handling and shipping flat material and more particularly is concerned with packing lacquer plate or other surfaced or polished sheet metal and for securing the same during shipment.

In the past it has been customary to box lacquer plate or other surface treated sheet metal in individual packages containing a comparatively small number of sheets. The packages are ordinarily made up from corrugated card board or light thin Wood and the boxes are then stacked in the transporting vehicle being retained in position With the aid of Wooden bulkheads nailed to the supporting vehicle so as to form retaining stalls or bins. However due to the Weight of the metal packaged considerable damage to the sheet metal has been caused by the same breaking through the retaining bulkheads during shipment as occasioned by jars and shocks received in transit. By the prior practices it has also been necessary to employ skilled carpenters in fabricating the retaining bulkheads and these bulkheads in themselves add considerably to the initial packaging and shipping cost.

It has also been proposed to ship sheet metal by providing heavy metal frames in Which the metal is stacked with a clamping device on lthe frames for securing the metal sheets tightly in position. These metal frames have not proven practical although a number of patents have been granted thereon with a considerable eiort being expended to commercialize the same. They are expensive and it is necessary for the buyer to return the frames to the shipper which further adds to the shipping cost. The frames moreover tend to break through the bottom, sides and ends of the transporting vehicle and have for this reason also been found to be objectionable.

By the present invention the foregoing and other difficulties of prior practices have been avoided and overcome by the provision of an improved method and means for packaging, binding and shipping sheet metal particularly such as lacquer plate or other highly finished or surfacetreated metal sheets.

It is an object of the present invention to provide means for packaging and shipping lacquer plate or the like which means are relatively inexpensive and eiiicient and Which can be readily applied by an ordinary Workman with a minimum of time and effort.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method and means for handling and transporting surface-treated sheet metal in which the (Cl. 26S-60) metal when packaged is free to move upon the floor of the transporting vehicle so that stresses on the packaged material and on the vehicle are reduced to a minimum when the vehicle is subjected to shocks and jars en route. 5 Another object of the invention is to provide means for packaging lacquer plate or the like which means are adapted to package and ship plate of slightly varying sizes in the same package unit. l0l

Another object of the invention is to support the sheet material during shipment by means Which substantially prevent tipping or other undesirable movement of the sheets.

Another object of the invention is to' scienticall5 ly design a composite package formed of a plurality of individual bundles with the weight, number and expense of the binding means being cut to a minimum.

The foregoing .and other objects of the inven- 20 tion are achieved by the means and in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view illustrating a package unit positioned in a transporting vehicle. 25 Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the package unit illustrated in Fig. l.

While the invention is adapted to be used to package, handle and ship substantially any material which can be contained in individual boxes or packages which are comparatively iiat, it is particularly designed for the handling and transporting of metallic sheets such as lacquer plate which have been surface-treated and which must be accordingly handled with great care in order to prevent marring or damaging the surface. Therefore, the invention has been illustrated and will be described as relating to the packaging and shipping of lacquer plate which ordinarily comes in gauges up to 1A thick and in sizes from 44 l0" to 48" Wide and from l2 to 60 long.

Referring to the drawing the numeral lil indicates generally the transporting vehicle Which may take the form of any kind of railroad c'ar, preferably a box car, or the vehicle may be a 45 truck, boat or the like as will be understood.' Positioned in the vehicle it are a plurality of individual packages l2 each of which comprises a comparatively small number of the lacquer plates or sheets bound up or contained in an individual. 5G box or cover formed of corrugated card board, thin wood or other suitable material. The packages i2 may be of somewhat dierent size as best illustrated in 2 in Which the numeral i@ indicates the larger size packages.

CII

The individual packages I2 and I4 are bound up into a single unit through the agency of H- shaped headers indicated generally at I6 and which comprise a buffer plate 20 backed and strengthened by cross battens 22 and a vertical batteri 24. The headers I6 are preferably made of wood with the bulkhead plate 20 usually being formed of one inch thick stock while the battens 22 and 24 may be of 2x4s, 2x6 1 x 4s, or the like. l

Positioned at one end of the unit is a Wedge block 26 which may or may not take the place of the vertical hatten 24. The block 26 is preferably placed between the end of the packages I2 and I4 and the vehicle wall and serves as a rest against which the packages may be stacked while the unit is being assembled and can if desired be removed after assembly. The wedge block 26 may also be left in place to function as a rest or support after the unit has been assembled and during the transit of the unit.

The packages I2 and I4 and the headers I6 are secured together through the agency of flexible binding means which preferably take the form of a flat high tension steel strap 30 which extends around the stacked packages in the manner illustrated in the drawing to include or not include the wedge blocks 2S as is best suited for the particular shipping problem. The steel strap-30 is tightened and locked as at 32 at the top of the unit. This tightening and locking operation is accomplished by any of the usual tightening and locking tools now on the market. The single longitudinal strap Sil will in practically all circumstances function to securely bind the packages into a unit. Under certain conditions, however, it may be desirable to employ a plurality of longitudinal binding means in which case a plurality of vertical battens 24 would of course be employed.

The assembled unit is left free to Ymove or shift on the floor of the transporting vehicle, as

will be understood, whereby excessive stresses onthe lacquer plate will be avoided. The unit may be assembled upon longitudinally extending skids if this ,is found necessary or desirable to obtain a free sliding movement upon the vehicle floor. The invention likewise contemplates stacking the packages in a vertical position which will dispense with a necessity for the wedge block 26. Again wedge blocks may be employed at the other end of the unit so that the packages are tipped in the opposite direction and if desired the packages may be tipped at a greater angle than that illustrated. Oppositely turned Wedge blocks may be-use'd simultaneously at opposite ends of the unit if this is desirable. As stated above under certain good shipping conditions the wedge blocks are merely employed to stack the packages on and after the unit is bound up the blocks (not bound in this case) can be removed and the unit will stay in the tilted position during shipment.

It is within the concept of the invention to simplify the individual packaging of the lacquer plate and to depart from the comparatively expensive individual boxes described above. This may be accomplished by merely employing a paper or like wrap for each bundle of plate with tissue paper or the like being employed between the sheets. The individually paper wrapped packages are then secured into a unit in substantially the same manner as that described 5 above. The whole unit may be covered with protecting paper or other means as is found desirable under the particular shipping circumstances incurred.

By the present invention a simplied, commer- 10 cially-practical, means has been provided for handling and shipping sheet metal or the like. There is no necessity to return any of the shipping means to the sender. The packaging and shipping operation is accomplished with a mini- 15 mum of effort and by unskilled workmen with a Vminimum of equipment.

While, in accordance with the patent statutes, one embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described in detail, it will be appre- 20 ciated that the scope of the invention is not limited thereto or thereby but is dened in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A shipping unit comprising a plurality of 2'5 bundles of surface-treated metal sheets, each of the bundles of sheets being enclosed in protective material to form a package, said packages being stacked in a row on edge against the inclined surface of a wedge block and supported thereby in 30 an inclined position, headers at the ends of the stacked packages and tensioned ilexible binding means longitudinally surrounding the packages, wedge block, and headers and securing the same ,v into a composite unit adapted to have free slid- 35 ing movement on a vehicle during transit.

2. In combination, a transporting vehicle, a plurality of bundles of metal sheets, each of the bundles of sheets being enclosed in protective material to form a package, said packages being 40 stacked on edge in the vehicle against a wedge block serving to hold the packages in an inclined position, headers at the ends of the stacked pack- 4ages and iiexible binding means longitudinally surrounding the packages, wedge block, and 45 headers and securing the same into a composite unit.

3. Means for shipping lacquer plate comprising a plurality of boxes individually packaging the plate, an inclined rest against which the boxes 50 of plate are stacked on edge in inclined position,

a nat high tension steel band surrounding the boxes and inclined rest and means for securing the band in said position While under high tension. 55

4. A shipping unit comprising an end block having an inclined face, a plurality of separate packages each containing a plurality of surface coated metal sheets, each package being disposed in a row on edge and inclined in conformity to the 60 said inclined-face of the end block, a header at the end of the row remote from the end block and a iiexible tensioned binder encircling the row of packages, the header at one end and end block at the other end and holding the several packc5 ages, header and end block in a compressed unit.

EARL I. BURKE. 

